Armed conflicts and attacks

• Operation Southern Spear
  • United States oil blockade during Operation Southern Spear
    • The United States Coast Guard boards and seizes a Guyanese-flagged tanker in the Caribbean Sea that had been sanctioned by the US. (The Guardian)

• At least 19 people are killed and hundreds are evacuated across South Africa in flooding caused by torrential rains in several provinces, including Limpopo and Mpumalanga. (AP)
• At least four people are injured and several buildings collapse following an explosion in the Utrecht city centre in the Netherlands. (NOS in Dutch) (Al Arabiya)

• Denmark–France relations
  • French president Emmanuel Macron announces the deployment of additional military forces to Greenland after a Defense Council meeting. (France 24)
• Japan–Philippines relations, Territorial disputes in the South China Sea
  • Japan and the Philippines sign a defense pact to mutually allow tax-free provision of ammunition, fuel, food, and other forms of aid. (AP)
• United Arab Emirates–Yemen relations
  • Faraj Al-Bahsani is dismissed from Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, becoming the last United Arab Emirates-backed member to leave the body. (The New Arab)

• Sexual deepfake and illegal content generation on X
  • The "Get Grok Gone" campaign delivers letters to Apple and Google demanding they remove Grok from their app stores because of non-consensual intimate images and child sexual abuse material being generated by Grok. (The Register)

• 2026 Ugandan general election
  • Ugandans vote to elect the President of Uganda and 529 members of Parliament. (AP)
• Singaporean prime minister Lawrence Wong rescinds Workers' Party MP Pritam Singh's position as the de jure Leader of the Opposition. (CNA)
• Salem Saleh bin Braik, prime minister of Yemen, resigns. President Rashad al-Alimi appoints Shaea Muhssin as the next prime minister. (Jerusalem Post)

• The members of NASA commercial Crew-11, who were docked at the International Space Station since August 2025, land on Earth one month early following the first ever medical evacuation from the ISS. (Space) (NPR)
• Frigidaire issues a recall for 330,000 mini-fridges for fire risks, after previously recalling 634,000 last year. (AP)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Anglophone Crisis
  • Fifteen people, including eight children, are killed by gunmen in a mass shooting in Ndu, Northwest Region, Cameroon. (AP)
• Armed conflict for control of the favelas
  • Brazilian police kill four Comando Vermelho gang members in a raid in Rio de Janeiro, and seize weapons, ammunition, drugs, camouflage clothing, and radios. A police helicopter is shot at and damaged, injuring one crew member. (AP)
• 2025–2026 Iranian protests
  • Armed bands of Iraqi Kurdish fighters, possibly affiliated with the PKK, have allegedly infiltrated the Iranian border. According to reports, they engaged in clashes with IRGC led security forces. (Reuters) (Fox News)

• The price of gold reaches an all-time high of US$4,644.56 per ounce, surpassing December's previous peak of $4,383.76. (Royal Mint)

• 2026 Crans-Montana bar fire
  • The Swiss cantons of Valais and Geneva ban fireworks in indoor venues in the aftermath of the fire at a Crans-Montana nightclub, which killed 40 people. (BBC)
• 2026 Sikhio train disaster
  • At least 32 people are killed and 66 others are injured when a construction crane falls onto a passing train in Sikhio district, Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand. (Sky News) (Reuters) (AP)

• The Copernicus Climate Change Service reports that 2025 ranks as the third-warmest year on record and completes the first three-year period with average global temperatures at least 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. (AFP via ABS-CBN News)

• Armenia–Azerbaijan relations
  • Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
    • Azerbaijan releases four Armenian prisoners convicted of offenses linked to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as part of ongoing post-war normalization efforts between the two states. (Reuters)
• Denmark–France relations
  • French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot announces that France will open a consulate in Greenland in February, signaling its rejection of attempts by the United States to acquire the territory. (AFP via Le Monde)
• Travel bans under the Trump administrations
  • The Trump administration of the United States announces that it will suspend the processing of immigrant visas for 75 countries. Tourist and business visas will not be affected. (AFP via Le Monde)

• Sexual deepfake and illegal content generation on X
  • The Garda Síochána of Ireland confirms that there are 200 active investigations into child sexual abuse material being generated by Grok. (RTÉ)
• Shootings by U.S. immigration agents in the second Trump administration, Operation Metro Surge
  • A person is shot and injured by a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. (ABC News)

• Singapore's parliament votes to remove Workers' Party leader Pritam Singh as Leader of the Opposition following his conviction for providing false testimony to a parliamentary committee in 2021. (Reuters)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2025–2026 Iranian protests
  • 2026 Iran massacres
    • The U.S.-based non-governmental organization HRAI reports that at least 2,000 people have been killed during nationwide protests in Iran. Meanwhile, independent activist sources contend that the nationwide crackdown has resulted in at least 12,000 to 20,000 people killed. (CBS News) (AP)
• Insurgency in Chad
  • At least six people are killed, including three soldiers and three attackers, and 12 others are injured, including two other attackers, in clashes between a rebel group and the Chadian National Army in Korbol, Moyen-Chari, Chad. (Africanews)

• Adelaide Writers' Week boycott
  • Adelaide Writers' Week in Adelaide, Australia, cancels its 2026 festival after director Louise Adler resigned and more than 180 writers withdrew in protest over the board's decision to disinvite Palestinian Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah. (Reuters)

• 2018–present Argentine monetary crisis
  • Argentina records a 31.5% annual inflation rate in December, the lowest end-year level since 2017, while monthly prices rise 2.8%, driven mainly by transport, housing, and fuel. (AFP via Barron's)

• At least 38 people are killed when a ferry strikes rocks and sinks on the Niger River in Diré, Tombouctou Region, Mali. (AP)
• At least 19 people are killed, four are seriously injured and over 30 others are missing following a landslide triggered by hours of heavy rain in Walikale Territory, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (AP) (Prensa Latina)

• Philippines–United Arab Emirates relations
  • The Philippines and the United Arab Emirates sign a free trade agreement. (The Star)

• Mexican drug war, Mexico–Venezuela relations
  • Mexican police arrest six alleged Tren de Aragua members operating in Mexico City on charges of drug trafficking, extortion, and human trafficking. (AP)

• 2026 Ugandan general election, Human rights in Uganda
  • Uganda orders a nationwide internet shutdown two days before its general election, with the communications regulator directing service providers to suspend access to curb alleged misinformation and incitement. (AFP via Le Monde) (Al Jazeera)

• Censorship in Venezuela
  • Venezuelans regain access to the social network X after more than a year of blockage under de jure president Nicolás Maduro. (AFP via CP24)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Gaza war
  • Palestinian internal political violence
    • The Israeli-backed militant organization Counter-Terrorism Strike Force says it has assassinated Mahmoud Al-Astal, head of a Hamas-run police unit in Khan Yunis, Gaza Strip. (Reuters)
• Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  • A roadside bomb targeting a police vehicle kills six officers near the Afghan border in northwestern Pakistan. (AP)
• Myanmar civil war, Bangladesh–Myanmar relations
  • Bangladesh detains 53 Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army members that crossed into Bangladesh amid fighting with the Arakan Army in Rakhine State, Myanmar. (AFP via The Straits Times)
• Sudanese civil war
  • A Rapid Support Forces missile strike kills ten civilians and wounds nine others in Singa, Sennar State, Sudan. (AA)

• Spanish property bubble
  • Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez issues a decree that tightens rent regulations by limiting short-term rentals and offering full tax refunds to landlords who renew contracts without rent increases, as the country faces a housing shortfall of about 500,000 homes and average rents that have doubled over the past decade. (Reuters)

• One person is killed and 35 others are injured in a meteotsunami at several beaches in Argentina. (People)

• Climate change in Morocco
  • A seven-year drought ends in Morocco after a 95 percent increase in winter rainfall compared with 2025 was recorded. (Reuters)

• Somalia–United Arab Emirates relations
  • Constitutional crisis in Somalia
    • Cabinets of the Federal Government of Somalia claim to repel the United Arab Emirates from operating in the ports of Berbera, Bosaso, and Kismayo for their support of Somaliland. The Somaliland, Puntland, and Jubaland governments subsequently dismiss the decision. (Middle East Eye) (Dawan Africa) (The New Arab)

• Cambodia–South Korea relations, Scam centers in Cambodia
  • Cambodian and South Korean police arrest 26 suspects accused of impersonation scams and sexual exploitation that allegedly defrauded 165 South Korean victims of about ₩26.7 billion (US$18.25 million), with authorities set to extradite the suspects to South Korea. (Reuters)
• Corruption in Georgia
  • Former Georgian prime minister Irakli Garibashvili pleads guilty to large-scale money-laundering charges and receives a five-year prison sentence and a ₾1-million (US$371,829) fine after investigators seize about $6.5 million in cash during raids on his residence. (Reuters)
• Corruption in Poland, Hungary–Poland relations
  • Former Polish justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro receives political asylum in Hungary while Polish prosecutors investigate him on 26 counts related to alleged misuse of a crime victims fund and other abuses of office under the first Morawiecki cabinet. (The Guardian)
• Corsican conflict
  • Former National Liberation Front of Corsica leader Alain Orsoni is assassinated by a gunman at his mother's funeral in Vero, Corse-du-Sud, Corsica, France. (Reuters)
• War on drugs
  • Swedish police seize three tonnes of cocaine found in a shipping container from South America at the Port of Helsingborg, making it the country's single-largest seizure of the illegal drug. (Reuters)
  • Spanish police, in coordination with the UK National Crime Agency and the US DEA, seize 10 tonnes of cocaine hidden among a cargo of salt on a cargo ship off the Canary Islands. It is the country's largest ever seizure of drugs at sea. Thirteen people on board the vessel are arrested. (The Guardian)
• Venezuela releases between 41 and 116 political prisoners who were detained due to acts associated with civil disobedience the constitutional order. (Al Jazeera)

• Criticism of Twitter
  • The United Kingdom's Ofcom opens an investigation into X over complaints about the creation of deepfake sexualised images by its chatbot Grok. (RTÉ)
• Meta reports that it has shut down over 544,000 accounts of users under the age of 16 on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads in response to Australian social media age restrictions. (DW)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Syrian conflict
  • SDF–Syrian transitional government clashes
    • January 2026 Aleppo clashes
      • The Syrian Democratic Forces withdraw from Aleppo following negotiations with the Syrian transitional government. (Al Jazeera)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Attacks in Russia during the Russo-Ukrainian war
    • A woman is killed and around a dozen residential buildings are damaged in an overnight Ukrainian drone attack on Voronezh, Russia. (Reuters)
  • Russian attacks on civilians in the Russo-Ukrainian war
    • At least four people are killed and 20 others are injured in overnight Russian drone attacks across Ukraine. (Euronews)
• 2025–2026 Iranian protests
  • 2026 Los Angeles ramming attack
    • Two people are injured in a suspected vehicle-ramming attack when a U-Haul truck strikes multiple people during an anti-Iranian government protest in Los Angeles, California, United States, after protesters strike the vehicle with hands and flags. No one is hospitalized after the incident. (BNO News)
  • Non-governmental organization HRAI verifies the deaths of 483 protesters and 47 security personnel in Iran since the start of the protests. (Sky News) (Reuters)
  • Amidst the ongoing internet blackout, the Iranian government successfully shuts down the Starlink internet for the first time. (The Times of Israel)
• Sudanese civil war
  • Sudanese prime minister Kamil Idris announces that the government will return to the capital of Khartoum after previously operating out of Port Sudan for much of the conflict. (Al Jazeera)

• 83rd Golden Globe Awards
  • At this year's Golden Globe Awards, Hamnet and One Battle After Another win Best Dramatic and Best Comedic or Musical Film, respectively, while The Pitt and The Studio win Best Drama and Best Comedy or Musical in television, respectively. (Los Angeles Times)

• China–Egypt relations, Foreign relations of Norway
  • Egypt signs renewable energy agreements worth US$1.8 billion with China and Norway. (Al Arabiya)

• 2025–26 Australian bushfire season
  • One person is killed and at least 300 properties are destroyed by wildfires across Victoria and New South Wales, Australia. A state of emergency is declared in Victoria with thousands of firefighters and more than 70 aircraft deployed to combat the fires. (BBC News)
• Eight people are killed and 12 others are injured in an explosion during wedding festivities at a house in Islamabad, Pakistan. (Dawn)
• The death toll from avalanches in the French Alps over the weekend rises to six as three more skiers are killed. (AFP via South China Morning Post)
• Four people are killed and five others are injured after two cars collide head-on in Bolton, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom. (BBC News)

• Three inmates are killed and 14 others are injured, including a corrections officer, in a prison fight at the Washington State Prison in Davisboro, Georgia, United States. (AP)

• 2025–26 Myanmar general election
  • Citizens of Myanmar vote in the second phase to elect the nation's bicameral legislature. One more phase of voting is expected in late January. (AP)
• 2026 Beninese parliamentary election
  • Citizens in Benin vote to elect the 109 members of the National Assembly more than one month after a thwarted coup attempt. (RFI)

• 2026 United Cup
  • In tennis, Poland win their first United Cup title after defeating Switzerland 2–1 in the final at the Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney, Australia. (Reuters)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Syrian conflict
  • SDF–Syrian transitional government clashes
    • January 2026 Aleppo clashes
      • A kamikaze drone of unknown origin strikes a governate building in Aleppo, Syria, while government officials were holding a conference inside, a day after the government declared a ceasefire in the city. (Al Jazeera)
  • Operation Hawkeye Strike
    • The United States military launches airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Syria. (Sky News) (Fox News)
• Crisis in Venezuela, War on drugs, United States–Venezuela relations
  • 2026 United States intervention in Venezuela
    • The U.S. State Department urges Americans to leave Venezuela immediately, following reports that Colectivos were targeting them. (The Guardian)

• 2026 Binaliw landslide
  • The death toll from a garbage landslide in Cebu City, Philippines, rises to at least four, while 12 of about 50 buried sanitation workers are rescued. (AFP via Arab News)
• 2026 Paipa Piper PA-31 crash
  • Six people are killed, including musician Yeison Jiménez, when a Piper PA-31 Navajo crashes in Paipa, Boyacá Department, Colombia. (BNO News)

• Argentina–Brazil relations, Argentina–Venezuela relations, International reactions to the 2026 United States intervention in Venezuela
  • Brazil returns responsibility to Argentina for its diplomatic representation and custody of the Argentine embassy in Venezuela after overseeing the mission in Caracas since 2024 following the expulsion of Argentine diplomats under the Nicolás Maduro administration. (Reuters)

• 2025 Egyptian parliamentary election
  • Egypt's National Elections Authority finalizes the remaining 49 parliamentary seats, confirming that President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's allies retain the two-thirds supermajority needed to amend the constitution, while opposition parties and independents hold about 158 of 568 elected seats. (Reuters)
• Nicaragua–United States relations
  • Nicaragua releases dozens of prisoners after the United States publicly demanded the release of more than 60 political prisoners. (Al Jazeera)
• 2025 Honduran general election
  • The Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Honduran Armed Forces Héctor Valerio informs that the already confirmed election results and the transfer of power would be guaranteed despite President Xiomara Castro's decree demanding a recount of the results. (Tiempo)

• Pornography Act
  • Indonesia suspends access to the Grok chatbot over concerns about the generation of pornographic content and summons representatives of its developer, xAI, for investigation. (Reuters)

• 2025–26 FA Cup
  • Macclesfield 2–1 Crystal Palace
    • In association football, National League North team Macclesfield beat the FA Cup defending champions Crystal Palace 2–1, in statistically the biggest upset in the competition's 155-year history. (BBC Sport)